Manufacturing Barometer: Business outlook report - 2Q 2011
PwC's Manufacturing Barometer is a quarterly survey of US-based executives in large, multinational industrial manufacturing businesses. The survey captures participants' assessments of the direction of the US and world economies and their company's performance and expectations in such areas as revenue growth, margins, inventory, and costs.
In the second quarter of 2011, PwC interviewed 60 US-based industrial manufacturing executives about their current business performance, the state of the economy, and their expectations for business growth over the next 12 months. We then compared their responses with results from prior quarters to see how the panel’s outlook has changed. Overall, the 12-month view for the US and world economies turned cautious, with uncertainty replacing optimism for many respondents. Despite that, the survey revealed stronger own-company revenue forecasts and a boost in international sales. More showed concern about potential barriers to growth, and hiring is flat. However, many are planning to invest in new capital and increase spending over the next 12 months.
